Shaun T says at the end of one of his Insanity videos — I think it’s “Pure Cardio” — that he puts himself through these tough workouts “because I wanna look good.”
I’m sure Shaun T understands the health benefits of getting into shape, but he’s young and has probably never been fat or had severe health problems. “Looking good” probably is at the top of his list of reasons to work out.
There is no doubt that looking good is an attractive side effect of getting healthy, but it really has become more of a motivator now that I have been putting myself out there as a blogger who gives fitness advice. I mean, how many people are going to listen to anything a fat fitness guru says?
But it didn’t start that way for me.
When I started my fitness quest, I was 5’10” and weighed 235. I was taking 2 medications for blood pressure and 1 for cholesterol. I was having pain in my gut that I didn’t like.
My goal was to get off those medications and lose the pain.
Four and a half years later, I weigh  in at 170, have been off the meds for years, and my blood pressure and cholesterol are in good shape. The pains in my gut are long gone. I am stronger and my cardio fitness is great.
That’s all fine, but what has been motivating me lately? I want to see my abs.
Sounds like I’m trying to look good, and that makes sense. Once the medical issues are taken care of, why not focus on a little body sculpting?
To get back to the title question, then, is it all about looking good? Can it be? Can we simply focus on looking good, and the health benefits will take care of themselves?
I could formulate a good argument against that — there are people who look good, but who are also unhealthy due to a poor diet or unbalanced workouts — so, no, it’s not all about looking good, but if that’s your prime motivator, roll with it, because at the very least, it’s a start!